Amazon’s New Kindle Paperwhite Gets Official

Skimmer. Photo: Amazon

After accidentally listing an updated version of the Kindle Paperwhite on its website this morning, Amazon has officially announced the new e-reader.

The second-gen Kindle Paperwhite has better contrast and an updated built-in light, and is 25 percent faster than its predecessor. It also gets Goodreads integration and Amazon’s new Kindle Page Flip feature. Page Flip lets readers skim through a book to other pages without losing their current spot — perfect for fans of spoilers or skipping back to previous chapters for clarification.

The enhanced built-in light uses the same light-guide technology as the previous Paperwhite, but has been enhanced to reduce eyestrain, according to Amazon. The online retailer also says that the screen has a higher contrast than the previous Paperwhite and that the display is “virtually indistinguishable from a physical book.” We called the original version’s front-lit screen “nearly perfect.”

Amazon’s acquisition of Goodreads is paying off with integration into the bibliophile social site. Find what your friends are reading with just a tap on the screen. All of this plus legacy features like Whispersync, X-Ray, and Time to Read make the Paperwhite the new e-reader to beat.

The Paperwhite is available for pre-order today for $119 for Wi-Fi with “special offers” (ads) and $139 without offers. It will ship on Sept. 30. The Paperwhite 3G + Wi-Fi version is available for $189 and will ship Nov. 5.